Star Wars Rebels, which will air on Disney XD, is described as an “action-filled series”, set between the events of Episode III and IV. There was a lot of speculation about when the new Star Wars animated series would take place, with many assuming the most likely era was post-Episode VI, to lead into the new trilogy. Instead, as the title notes, Rebels occurs “in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape.” There is about 20 years of time in-between Episode III and IV in the Star Wars timeline, so there are still plenty of questions about whether this will take place closer to Revenge of the Sith or A New Hope, or perhaps right in the middle...

Star Wars Rebels will first debut fall 2014 as a one-hour special on Disney Channel, with the ongoing series airing on Disney XD channels around the world.

I'm just guessing it's going to have the exact same animation style as Clone Wars... which is okay and all, but still kind of goofy. Still, lots of opportunity here.

Achievement Unlocked: TOTAL DOMINATION (Win a Werewolf Game without losing a single player on your team)

TERRIFIC TEASERS: Four short-form interstitials will release in Summer 2014, introducing viewers to the characters of Star Wars Rebels. In Fall 2014, a one-hour debut special will air on Disney Channel and Disney XD, followed by the series rollout on Disney XD.

Lucasfilm has just informed us that a fifteen-second Star Wars Rebels teaser will air during the premiere episode of Disney XD's new series Mighty Med from 8:30-9:00pm ET on Monday, October 7. We're also told that the teaser will not include any actual clips from Rebels. As for what it will include, we'll have to wait until next Monday night on Disney XD.

Del Rey has updated the cover image of the Star Wars Books Facebook page, and the change has Expanded Universe fans speculating like crazy. The cover image, seen above, reads, "A new dawn begins September 2014."

Is a reboot of the tie-in fiction coming in September to prepare the ground for the new movies? Will a new slate of books departing from the last thirty-six years of canon debut this fall? The answer, for now at least, remains unclear.

The announcement also reveals that the first book in the new canon will be Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. This book will be set before Star Wars Rebels and provide "insight into a key character's backstory, with input directly from executive producers Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman." Filoni will also write the book's foreword.

"There's a bright future for Star Wars," Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni says in the video. "But I think the EU will be a legacy that's mined forever."

Germain Lussier wrote:One of the highlights of San Diego Comic-Con for me was Star Wars Rebels. Not only did I finally get to see and revel in the fantastic pilot, I got the chance to discuss it with two of its executive producers, Dave Filoni and Simon Kinberg. In a 15-year professional career, it was the first time I got to sit down and discuss Star Wars with people directly involved in Star Wars. It was pretty exciting.

Over the course of the next few days, we’re going to share the highlights of these one on one interviews. To start, I talked with both men about where, when and how Star Wars Rebels fits into the overall canon of Star Wars, what that means, how it effects their storytelling, and linking into the original trilogy. Read their quotes about the Star Wars Rebels plot connections below.

First up, here’s my discussion with Dave Filoni about the Star Wars Rebels plot. Filoni is not only the executive producer of Rebels, he was the showrunner and driving force behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

I'd kinda given up on Rebels as a little too kiddie for me, but was still recording the eps on DVR. I saw that a major character was returning and I was interested enough to watch the finale, and I actually really liked it! The major character part was little more than a cameo (followed by another major cameo right at the end), but the story, pacing and nature of the episode was more in keeping with what I was looking for here. Closer to Clone Wars (not terrifying to children but with some adultish themes) and not quite as close to every other Disney Channel cartoon on the air. The pacing was great. Fast paced, cutting action between the various groups involved in the plot, reminiscent of the end of ROTJ (no ewoks).

I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised enough that I'll continue the DVR season pass into next season. I don't believe that every episode will be a winner, but I hope that they are picking up some steam and finding the sweet spot between kid tv and geek tv.

Lord Voldemoo wrote:... I saw that a major character was returning and I was interested enough to watch the finale, and I actually really liked it! The major character part was little more than a cameo (followed by another major cameo right at the end),....

Lord Voldemoo wrote:... I saw that a major character was returning and I was interested enough to watch the finale, and I actually really liked it! The major character part was little more than a cameo (followed by another major cameo right at the end),....

Do tell?

SPOILERS:The first was the reveal of the identity of "Fulcrum" who, as most had already guessed was Ahsoka Tano from Clone Wars.The second was the appearance of Vader.

...which probably suggests it's time for another emotional Master-apprentice fight to the death.

I've really liked the series. Like Moo says, it does indeed have the same child-level quality as Clone Wars had in the beginning. But they've ramped up the learning curve with it much more, so by episode 13 it's had some of the edges sharpened (it took Clone Wars a couple of years to do this).

There've been a couple of episodes really rooted into the Star Wars "mythology" stuff which, if you're into all that, it's well worth giving a look. And with all appearances of characters from the films, it really feels a bit more like a proper part of Star Wars and not just a bunch of video game cutscenes about Clone Troopers with weird accents.

So the Siege of Lothal was really good. The 3 minute trailer gives alot away (though they screened this for the first time back in April so whatever). Vader is appropriately badass, the pacing and action remains good, the relationships are developing further, and we get to see a couple of old friends again.

I love the way this show is bridging The Clone Wars (and the PT) to the OT.